


courtship courtesies (CinPhen Secret Santa 2k19)

by catscanyeehawtoo



Category: Cinderella Phenomenon (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Klaude drinks his 'I love Lucette juice' everyday, Lucette does not take any bullshit, Politics, like really minor OCs, post-route, shady nobles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catscanyeehawtoo/pseuds/catscanyeehawtoo
Summary: After the engagement of Lucette Riella Britton and Klaude Aidric Renaldi Mattheus Almonte, the courts must become acquainted in a series of meetings. Lucette, albeit well-versed in etiquette, is at a loss in Brugantia.'If she had known that the process of marrying Klaude would take this many unnecessary conversations with so many dull individuals, she would have considered eloping.The etiquette of politics is far too complicated in her opinion...Everything had its own hidden meaning, and changing how exactly you said one word could completely turn a situation on its head.'
Relationships: Lucette Riella Britton/Karma, Lucette Riella Britton/Klaude Aidric Renaldi Mattheus Almonte, Lucette/Karma, Lucette/Klaude
Comments: 9
Kudos: 89





	courtship courtesies (CinPhen Secret Santa 2k19)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DistractedDaydreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistractedDaydreamer/gifts).



> hello all! so the CinPhem discord had a big secret santa! this is my fic for Day, who wished for post-route politics! Hope you all enjoy!

Lucette could feel the slightest tension begin to set into her forehead. Previously she had believed the royal court of Angielle to be tedious, but the court of Brugantia was proving to be even more so.

The long process of a inter-dynasty marriage had begun, requiring the crown princess to spend long periods of time away from her homeland to perform various duties in her betrothed’s country. Treaties had to be formed about what territory goes where, what monarch goes to what country, trade privileges, etc; and the two countries had to become acquainted formally in a series of diplomatic meetings and balls between royal figures and courts.

If this could be called diplomatic.

Treaties Lucette could handle. Her mother, albeit dubiously, taught her how to negotiate in these situations: what terms were outrageous, how to protect herself and her country as its ruler, how to add bits and pieces into the conditions that would give an invisible upper hand...but not how to handle-

“Lucette, dear, how do you enjoy the tea? It is one of Brugantia’s finest imports. But I’m sure our prince has treated you to this before, yes?

-cattiness. Looking across the table, Lucette mustered her best polite smile (or grimace. She was very sure it was a grimace) to reply, “Klaude prefers coffee, so we tend to take that in the afternoon in the place of tea.”

There was a noticeable, charged pause, causing Lucette’s eyes to flick wildly between the ladies. All of them had angled slightly to face her, expectantly waiting, each looking with a mix of indifference and lightly concealed distaste.

_I said something wrong. What am I missing what am I missing what am I-_

“The tea is lovely, though, I will have to urge him to include it the next time we take tea together.”

And like that the tension was cut. The women turned away from her to resume their neutral state, and Lucette could breathe once again. Duchess Angeline, a middle-aged, auburn-haired woman, was more than pleased to recount whatever gossip she heard amongst her servants, and attention was diverted from the princess.

Silently glancing at the clock in the corner, Lucette unfortunately found that she had nearly another half hour left with the court. If she had known that the process of marrying Klaude would take this many unnecessary conversations with so many dull individuals, she would have considered eloping.

As soon as the fantasy sprung in her mind, Lucette squashed it immediately. She has duties. Klaude has duties. And, while Lucette nor Klaude would admit it, they both loved their countries in the way a ruler only could. It was an odd, begrudging love, like a parent to an unruly child, but love nonetheless. For this reason, it was necessary that they fight through the messiness that was dealing with nobility.

Lucette, however, felt absolutely blindsided by the workings of Brugantia’s court. While previously in Angielle, the court had played a significant role in politics, the tyrannical reign of her mother had killed the power of nobility considerably; consequently, the king now absolutely resided over all lands with the court serving as a liaison between the king and the people. Her father intended to keep it that way to continue to ensure stability in the kingdom still recovering from the Great War. Brugantia was frustratingly different. It kept with the tradition of a spread out system of nobles having significant control over various territories, which led to them working with the king and advisors to pass laws that would benefit their lands (and themselves).

How on earth are you supposed to trust these people to do what’s best for the kingdom?, Lucette thought. All they seem to talk about is themselves or the next dullest thing possible.

She took another bite out of the cake in front of her and involuntarily cringed. Another thing she had yet to get used to was how Brugantian tea time seemed to consist of sweet snacks and other various desserts, compared to the more savory tea time she was used to in Angielle. While she did enjoy the occasional pastry, having one nearly every single day was enough to exhaust those cravings.

“Is something not to your liking, your highness?”

Apparently she hadn’t concealed her distaste well enough.

Lucette took a moment to center herself before returning to the duchess sitting across the table from her, silently scrambling to say something other than the fact that she was quite sick of sweets. Suddenly, the lady sitting to her right interrupted before the princess could speak, setting her fork down quite loudly.

“I do think that the chocolate petit four is off today, don’t you agree, princess?”

Lucette nearly sighed with relief. “I do, actually.”

Duchess Angeline was quick to recover, as it appeared the interruption surprised her as much as it did Lucette. Regardless, Lucette was grateful for the unspoken support of the woman. She did not miss, however, the quick glare the duchess sent to the lady and her slight shrug in response.

The etiquette of politics is far too complicated in her opinion. Having to say exactly the right thing to get your point across all under the guise of false politeness is...frustrating, to say the least. Entire conversations could be had in complete silence, communicating only through subtle changes in body language. Speaking was worse. Everything had its own hidden meaning, and changing how exactly you said one word could completely turn a situation on its head. _It is far easier_ , Lucette thought, _to just be direct_. Be honest. Enough of this sickly sweet poison. She did see the logic behind it, albeit dubious. To say something a little too rough to another person in power could be the tipping point for inciting a trade block or, god forbid, a rebellion.

The brown-haired woman sighed dramatically. “Well, we will just have to talk to Remille. It’s not like him to bake a bad cake.” Just as Lucette thought the crisis was averted, then, faintly, there was that dark change again in Angeline’s eyes as the woman raised her teacup to her lips. “Lucette, your step-mother and step-siblings are bakers, yes? Ah, excuse me, former bakers. How does it compare to the servant cooks?”

The princess could feel her temperature rise a couple of degrees. She suspected that there would be some resistance to the engagement due to her mother being, well, Hildyr, and Lucette had prepared to protect herself against such attacks, but it now seemed like dissenters would use anything as a weapon to express their distaste.

 _So this is the true nature of the court_ , she thought bitterly. And while Lucette was not on the greatest terms with her family, their relationship had gotten better, and on most nights the princess did enjoy their company. In these moments, it felt as if the entire world was trying to prove that her changed viewpoint was for nothing, as if every cruel act and word proved her old self right.

Her hand went to her throat unconsciously, resting where her glass slipper pendant sat before she broke her curse. Lucette fixed her posture, lifting her chin before smiling a cool, closed smile at the woman. _I will not let her know that I am irritated. I will not let her irritate me. I am above being petty. If she wants to play etiquette politics, then so be it._

“Yes, they were. In fact, _Queen_ Ophelia,” she said, emphasizing her step-mother’s title, “Still bakes to this day, to relieve stress I believe. She is an extremely talented baker in my opinion.”

Apparently that was not the reaction that the woman was searching for. Duchess Angeliene’s eyes widened slightly as she dropped her cup to its saucer, and opened her mouth as if to defend herself. Before the woman could get a word out, Lucette interrupted her.

“And, if you would, I am the crown princess of Angielle and the fiancé of the crown prince of Brugantia. I assume you have not forgotten my correct addresses?”

The informal usage of her name, without even a title, by a woman she did not even know, incensed Lucette in an extremely deep manner. Stature, as she had learned, was not everything, but even the most basic of manners are required. But to be addressed so informally, so disrespectfully, was so...personal.

Every lady of the court at the table watched with wide eyes. The soft din of noise that usually accompanied afternoon tea was completely silenced. The older, more experienced women corrected themselves quickly and resorted to flicking their eyes between the princess, who had taken an air of regality, and the duchess, who had seemed to have lost all of hers.

Angeline took a moment to regain her composure, although her neck, splotched with red, displayed her flustered state. “I apologize, Your Majesty. I forgot myself in that moment, and…” the woman paused before forcing out, “I do hope you’ll forgive me.”

The princesses let out the breath she did not know she was holding, her hands relaxing in her lap. A victory, although admittedly a small one. If Lucette was not liked by the court, so be it, but she’ll be damned before she is run out by petty women who did not even know her.

There was a knock on the door behind Lucette, snapping everyone out of the tension that had seized the occupants of the room. The lady sitting next to Duchess Angeline (Lucette racked her brain before remembering the Marqesse’s name, Cerise) nudged the woman, who had forgotten that as the host of the afternoon, she was to answer the door. The corners of Lucette’s mouth twitched.

The duchess jumped. “Ah! Yes, do come in!” Lucette did not miss the way her shoulders sunk with relief at the diversion from her failed jab, before noticing all of the courtiers stood suddenly. Whoever came in must be equal to or higher in stature than the court, and Lucette could only pray that it wasn’t the k-

Before the princess could finish her thought, however, she felt arms being draped around her and a low voice close to her ear.

“I do apologize, but could I steal my fiancé away from you ladies for a moment?”

Klaude. Lucette broke into a soft smile, relief both at being saved from the court and happiness at seeing her betrothed for this first time that day.

And then turned a deep red.

Klaude pressed a soft, slow kiss to the skin just below her ear, causing the princess to shiver. What made matters worse, however, was the fact that the prince had buried his face in Lucette’s neck, angling his head just enough to see the rest of the table.

Suddenly the ladies of the court were far more interested in the embroidery on the table cloth, and Angeline was determined to look anywhere but at the royal couple. “Well, of cour-”

“Fantastic,” Klaude said, pulling Lucette out of her seat. “If you would excuse us.”

Lucette had barely bent into a curtsey before Klaude had pulled her out of the room and away from the various social rooms deeper into the palace. He was walking at a slightly faster pace than her, forcing the princess to nearly jog to stay holding his hand.

_What’s wrong with him?_

She couldn’t quite see the full expression of his face, but it seemed to her that he had a very firm grasp of his composure. That is, until Lucette looked at his eyes, green and intense with some unpleasant emotion she couldn’t place. The last thing she remembered talking about with him was his hunting trip with his father. Oh.

“Klaude, wh-”

The red-headed man simply squeezed her hand, and uttered, “Not now. Just a little bit more, my love.”

So she kept quiet and followed along. Lucette knew Klaude, and she knew that his ‘not now’ was now a promise rather than a dismissal; however, she could never get used to how she was never able to help Klaude until he decided to reveal to her what was bothering him. It was these small moments where she felt as clueless to him as she was when she first met him, and it was these small moments she despised.

Lucette was so wrapped up in her thoughts and what was possibly bothering Klaude that she failed to notice the number of servants and courtiers lining the hallways dwindling until there were none around the engaged pair. Klaude stopped abruptly, dropping her hand. She then took a moment to assess her surroundings, and noted that they were in a section of the palace that was being redone, swaths of fabric covering the portions of the wall where wallpaper was being replaced. Lucette turned to look at her fiancé, standing stone still barely a foot from her. She cautiously reached out to touch his shoulder, to do something, anything to bring him out of whatever mood he was in.

The moment her fingertips brushed his shoulder, Klaude pounced on the princess without warning, hands on either side of her face and kissing her with an intensity Lucette had never experienced. Yes, they had kissed...passionately before, but this felt different. The concern in Lucette’s mind faded as she melted underneath him, her hands clutching at his shoulders for stability.

The reciprocation only seemed to drive Klaude further, pushing Lucette against the wall. In surprise, the woman gasped against his lips, allowing him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Lucette’s hands finally found themselves in the prince’s hair, and as she experimentally tightened her grip, she could’ve sworn she heard him make a noise from the back of his throat.

Klaude pulled away, only to return his attentions to her neck. In a sudden moment of clarity, Lucette suddenly remembered why they were in this wing in the first place, and managed to squeeze out a, “What happened?”

The prince stopped briefly in his affections to laugh mirthlessly, and between kisses, said, “One of my...father’s advisors...does not think...that our marriage...is a good idea.”

Lucette froze, pushing against her fiancé’s shoulders to stop his ministrations, shock running cold in her system. “He said what?”

Klaude released the princess, bringing himself up to make eye contact with her, but leaving his hands on her waist. She could now see his eyes clearly, desire slowly being overtaken by what the princess could only describe as fury.

“He said that it was a political disadvantage. That Angielle was too unstable, too unpredictable to have an alliance with, that...”

Her eyes widened. He was implying that…

“...I was too unstable to have on the throne,” Lucette finished for him. The man flinched in response, and she could feel his hands form fists in the fabric of her dress.

“And earlier too, with the duchess I overheard-” Klaude suddenly exclaimed, the edges of his words tinged with distress, and his right hand moving to clutch the rose necklace she gave him.

That was enough.

“Klaude.” Lucette took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eyes. He looked at her almost frantically, green eyes wide, and she suddenly realized how all of this was taking a toll on him. Klaude had never been the responsible type, she had heard so many stories from him about how exactly he’d hide and shirk his various charges. To now be dealing with all of his duties and interacting with the court and the advisors must be...overwhelming, to say the least.

The princess returned her focus to the man in front of her, who was still looking at her, searching her face for something that he could decipher, that he could hold onto.

“We are still getting married, yes?”

The words had barely left her mouth before he retorted with a quick, incredulous, “Of course.”

She leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss on Klaude’s lips, pulling back before the man could deepen it. “Then that is it. Forget everything else. It doesn’t matter what the courts think. Them disapproving of our engagement does not stop the fact that you are going to be my husband.”

He stared at her blankly for a second before breaking out into a soft smile. “Say it again, love. Please.”

Lucette acquiesced. “You are going to be my husband.”

Klaude’s hands slowly made their way to her face to tuck her hair back to where it had fallen out during their earlier kiss. “Yes, I will be. And you will be my wife.”

The princess flushed and knew that the small amount of powder she applied in the morning would not be enough to hide the reddening color of her face. She quickly looked away, choosing to not acknowledge her fiancé’s chuckle at her embarrassment. “I-I will be. I will be,” she said, trying to mask how the phrase made her stomach flutter. “We just have to get arrangement terms processed. All of this...interaction is just for etiquette and tradition.”

“Besides,” Klaude drawled slyly, “my father likes you too much to let you go. Something about you being a good influence on me and ‘keeping me in check’, although I have no idea what he could possibly mean by that.”

Huffing, Lucette pushed the man’s shoulders lightly, not bothering to hide the smile now growing on her face as well. She knew that as long as Klaude loved her, nothing else mattered, but it was reassuring to know that the king did not look down on her because of her nature as a witch, her relations, or how cruel she used to be.

Lucette turned, murmuring a soft, “We should head back,” which elicited a groan from Klaude. Regardless of his displeasure at the idea of returning to the day, the prince still followed, offering his arm to walk her, which the princess immediately took. They walked in silence for a moment, both enjoying the other’s company, before Lucette turned to her partner.

“What was that in the tea room?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Klaude retorted, blatantly feigning innocence.

The princess raised a brow. “So you don’t remember accosting me in a full room?”

“Oh that? I would hardly call that accosting you, dear, just…” He paused. “Just sending a message.”

Lucette huffed, nudging Klaude to keep moving. The pair walked back to where they were expected; however, unbeknownst to them, word had gotten to the king of Klaude’s ‘message’, and the man was understandably excited about embarrassing the both of them at dinner later that night.

**Author's Note:**

> please kudo and comment! if you liked this, please check out my Cinderella Phenomenon blog at atthechimeofmidnight.tumblr.com
> 
> thank you so much!


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